WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The International Hot Rod Association will once again be a part of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, the world’s largest auto racing trade show, December 6-8, 2018 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis.

The IHRA will be located at booth number 3524. Come by and check out our racing programs for 2019 such as IHRA Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries, the largest and most prestigious championship in bracket racing featuring the addition of the new Sportsman class and the Summit Sportsman Spectacular.

In addition to our staff being available to answer attendee’s questions on IHRA 2019 programs, membership and licensing team members along with division directors will be on hand in the IHRA booth throughout the show.

The IHRA joins with more than 1,200 racing businesses exhibiting in over 3,400 booths. The PRI show attracts over 48,000 members of the racing industry from all 50 states and 70 countries.

A winner in both Top Fuel and Funny Car competition, McEwen is best known for his classic rivalry with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme where the two engaged in match races around the country. Their association with the Mattel company and the Hot Wheels toy line brought drag racing into the homes of millions and helped open the door for such diverse sponsorships as Coca-Cola and the U.S. Army.

McEwen, a member of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame, won three races and made seven final-rounds in IHRA Nitro Funny Car competition. He scored wins at the 1977 Winter Nationals in Darlington, S.C., where he beat Shirl Greer in the final, and at the Summer Nationals in Union Grove, Wisc. He finished second to Dale Pulde in the championship standings that season.

His second win in the Winter Nationals came in 1984 when he defeated Prudhomme in the final round.

Starting his racing career in 1953, McEwen remained an immensely popular figure throughout his life, with a 2013 movie titled Snake and Mongoose featuring both the rivalry and friendship of Prudhomme and McEwen.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With the racing season getting underway at many International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) tracks now is the best time to join the IHRA with exclusive benefits only available to members.

Upon joining the IHRA all members will receive $100,000 of excess insurance coverage, an IHRA Membership Card, a printed version of the most current IHRA rulebook, decals, access to the digital Drag Review Magazine via the IHRA website and bi-weekly newsletters through e-mail.

Members who compete in the new IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular program are also eligible for other exclusive IHRA member contingency and bonus prizes. Cash bonuses go to the IHRA Summit SuperSeries member who advances the furthest in eliminations. Along with that, the national contingency program is available for all IHRA members who advance to the final two rounds each day.

In addition to the available cash contingency program, Summit Racing Equipment’s contingency program will award Summit gift certificates to the winner, runner-up and semifinal finishers in Box, No Box, and Juniors.

IHRA members can also race for track championships through the Summit SuperSeries at nearly 100 IHRA-sanctioned members tracks. Through the $200,000 program, they have the opportunity to advance to the IHRA Summit World Finals in Memphis where the Top (Box) and Mod (No Box) champions receive $20,000 in prize money, a World Champion Ironnan trophy, a World Champion diamond ring and an eight-day, seven-night vacation in Aruba.

The Summit SuperSeries Junior Dragster champion prize package includes $3,000 from Summit Racing Equipment, an IHRA Gold Card, a World Champion Ironman, a World Champion diamond ring, and a turn-key dragster from American Race Cars.

Exclusive offers are available to all IHRA members from IHRA partners including a purchase discount from Summit Racing Equipment. Racers can sign up at https://www.summitracing.com/proshop for these savings.

Additionally, there will be a 10 percent discount on any IHRA apparel ordered through the IHRA website. This brand-new apparel will be coming soon.

For these and other exclusive offers, and to become an IHRA member, please call 561-337-3015 or email membership@ihra.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The International Hot Rod Association will once again be a part of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, the world’s largest auto racing trade show, December 7-9, 2017 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis.

The IHRA will be located at booth number 3728. Come by and check out our exciting grassroots, Sportsman racing programs with the new IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Spectacular and the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries, the largest and most prestigious championship in bracket racing.

In addition to our staff being available to answer attendee’s questions on IHRA 2018 programs, membership and licensing team members will be on hand in the IHRA booth throughout the show.

The IHRA joins with more than 1,100 racing businesses exhibiting in over 3,400 booths. The PRI show attracts over 48,000 members of the racing industry from all 50 states and 70 countries.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Nov 1, 2017) — The International Hot Rod Association is pleased to announce that Tucker Creech of Clayton, N.C., has been honored with the first-ever IHRA Scholars Award given to the IHRA member who best shows excellence in the classroom and on the track.

The award was announced in June and was eligible to the active IHRA member who graduated from the high school Class of 2017 with the highest GPA.

Creech, who graduated from Clayton High School in the spring of 2017, was among the top drivers in the Junior Dragster division at Fayetteville Motorsports Park before moving over to his father Richard’s Hot Rod machine. His sister, Kaylee, also races in the Junior Dragster division at Fayetteville.

Creech will receive a gold card for free entry to any IHRA race weekend in 2018. The gold card is a prestigious award usually reserved for IHRA World Champions.

The world’s best Sportsman racers will take center stage this weekend at the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway on October 19-21, 2017.

Hundreds of Summit SuperSeries track champions along with Summit Team Finals divisional champions from around the United States and Canada will gather at the Millington, Tenn., track for the largest and most prestigious bracket racing national championship in drag racing.

The IHRA Summit SuperSeries will crown champions in Top (Box), Mod (No Box) and Junior Dragster at the Summit World Finals. The $200,000 program is the championship competition for IHRA member Sportsman racers and it features an increased and expanded purse for 2017.

The championship prize package in Top and Mod is $20,000-to-win and $7,000 for the runner-up. Other payoffs include: $2,000 for sixth round, $1,000 for fifth round, $700 for fourth round, $600 for third round, $400 for second round and $300 for first round.

The Junior Dragster championship payout is a brand-new, turn-key JR Race Car Junior Dragster, plus $3,000-to-win. It is $2,000 for the runner-up, $1,000 for sixth round, $800 for fifth round, $500 for fourth round, $400 for third round, $350 for second round and $300 for first round.

To qualify for the season finale, racers must win the Summit SuperSeries track championship or win one of the Summit Team Finals main event in their division. To view a list of those who qualified for the IHRA Summit World Finals, click here — LIST OF 2017 WORLD FINALS QUALIFIERS.

Mickey Nelson from Maryland International Raceway was the 2016 Top ET national champion. Vic Ellinger from Thompson Raceway Park was the Mod ET National Champion and Allison Lloyd from Richmond Dragway was the Junior National Champion.

IRGSE purchased the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) in 2015 with the primary plan to make the sanctioning body a successful motorsports organization that consistently promotes grassroots drag racing and provides exceptional events for it racers and fans. Two years later, the original focus remains, and IRGSE maintains its long-term commitment to the IHRA as well as its membership, racing venues, and corporate partners.

The IHRA, founded in 1970, will continue to focus on core Sportsman racing, including the popular Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries and the recently announced Summit Sportsman Spectacular, its more than 13,000 members and nearly 100 venues that host IHRA-sanctioned events in an ongoing effort to further the growth of grassroots drag racing. As it has been the case since the sanctioning body was founded nearly five decades ago, the IHRA remains dedicated to providing the best possible experience for its racers.

"Moving forward, we will continue to be a Sportsman drag racing focused organization and build on the success of the Summit SuperSeries," IRGSE CEO Lou Partenza said. "We are proactively working towards increasing membership benefits, developing new Sportsman racing platforms and working with our track partners to create value for all our stakeholders, including racers and corporate partners."

"The heightened focus on Sportsman gives us the necessary resources to improve the IHRA from the ground up to make sure that the core of the sport, our member tracks and weekly racers, get the attention they deserve. IRGSE and our partners at TPG Specialty Lending continue to be committed to that effort."

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About IRG Sports + Entertainment:

IRG Sports + Entertainment™ (IRGSE), a TPG Specialty Lending Inc. portfolio company, is a leading marketer and promoter of sports and live entertainment experiences in the United States, Canada, Bahamas, New Zealand and Australia. The company owns and operates four motorsports facilities: Palm Beach International Raceway™ (PBIR), Memphis International Raceway™ (MIR), Maryland International Raceway™ (MDIR) and Cordova International Raceway™ (CIR); as well as the International Hot Rod Association™ (IHRA), International Drag Bike League™ (IDBL) andPalm Beach Driving Club™ (PBDC). IRGSE properties promote more than 1,150 motorsports, live entertainment and corporate events annually at its venues and within its series. For more information, please visit www.irgse.comfollow @IRGSports on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About International Hot Rod Association:

Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, the International Hot Rod Association™ (IHRA) is one of the world's largest motorsports sanctioning bodies. The IHRA promotes Sportsman drag racing for drivers of all levels. The IHRA sanctions nearly 100 motorsport facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Bahamas and welcomes 80,000 racers annually to their IHRA-sanctioned facilities.

The IHRA oversees multiple Sportsman racing programs including the Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries and the Sportsman Spectacular. For more information, visit www.IHRA.com, or connect on Facebook.com/IHRAMotorsports, Twitter @IHRA or Instagram.